Set Description
KING WILLIAM IV, CURRENCY GOLD HALF-SOVEREIGNS 1834-1837.
The Royal Mint struck its first gold sovereign in 1489 during the reign of Henry VII. This coin became known as "sovereign" because the obverse design depicted the King enthroned in regal splendour. It was the first gold coin produced with a value of one pound or twenty shillings, it was the largest coin yet issued in England and also the most beautiful. The half-sovereign was introduced a few years after, during the reign of King Henry VIII (1509-1547), in the year 1544, nearly 300 years before the modern coinage period. The modern sovereign, smaller and featuring on the reverse the classic St. George and the dragon design by Benedetto Pistrucci and the half-sovereign featuring the Royal Arms were introduced in 1817, during the reign of King George III (1760-1820), taking the form in which we know them today.
Gold half-sovereigns continued to be issued by the Royal Mint in London for the reigns of King George IV (1821-1830), King William IV (1831-1837), Queen Victoria (1838-1901), King Edward VII (1902-1910), and King George V (1911-1915).
After 1915 currency half -sovereigns were not issued by the Royal Mint until 1982 when the first bullion half-sovereign issued only for that year.
The year 2000 was of particular interest to half-sovereign enthusiasts, because for the first time since1982 a bullion type half-sovereign was struck and continued to be struck yearly ever since.
SPECIFICATIONS OF THE HALF-SOVEREIGN
DIAMETER: 19.3-19.4mm. 1834 Half-sovereign: 17.9mm.
WEIGHT: 3.994g
ALLOY: Gold.
FINENESS: 22 Carat.
MILLESIMAL FINENESS: 0.916
EDGE: Milled.
KING WILLIAM IV
The Reign of KING WILLIAM IV (1830-1837) House of Hanover.
Born: 21 August 1765.
Accession: 26 June 1830.
Married: Adelaide of Saxe-Coburg and Meiningen, 11 July 1818 after first meeting a week before, a double wedding with his brother, Prince Edward the Duke of Kent.
Coronation: Thursday, 8 September 1831.
Children: two daughters who both died in childhood, ten illegitimate children previously.
Died: 20 June 1837.
William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded his elder brother George IV, becoming the last king and penultimate monarch of Britain's House of Hanover.
William served in the Royal Navy in his youth, spending time in North America and the Caribbean, and was later nicknamed the "Sailor King". In 1789, he was created Duke of Clarence and St Andrews. In 1827, he was appointed as Britain's first Lord High Admiral since 1709. As his two older brothers died without leaving legitimate issue, he inherited the throne when he was 64 years old. His reign saw several reforms: the poor law was updated, child labour restricted, slavery abolished in nearly all of the British Empire, and the British electoral system refashioned by the Reform Act 1832. Although William did not engage in politics as much as his brother or his father, he was the last monarch to appoint a British prime minister contrary to the will of Parliament. He granted his German kingdom a short-lived liberal constitution.
At the time of his death, William had no surviving legitimate children, but he was survived by eight of the ten illegitimate children he had by the actress Dorothea Jordan, with whom he cohabited for twenty years. Late in life, he married and apparently remained faithful to the young princess who would become Queen Adelaide. William was succeeded by his niece Queen Victoria in the United Kingdom, and his brother King Ernest Augustus in Hanover.
KING WILLIAM IV CURRENCY HALF-SOVEREIGNS 1834-1837
King William IV (1765-1837) succeeded to the throne upon the death of his elder brother in June 1830. No currency gold coins were issued for that year. Although proofs were issued of both the sovereign and half-sovereign bearing the date of 1831, and also a currency sovereign for the same year. The half-sovereign was not issued as a currency piece for this reign until 1834. Four more currency issues of half-sovereigns (1835, 1836, 1837) were made during this short reign, two of these bear the same date of 1836. Actually one of these two 1836s is without doubt the key coin (Rating R5) of this small group, with its obverse struck from a sixpence die (M.Marsh 412A).
All these half-sovereigns featured on the obverse the bare head of the King facing right, engraved by William Wyon(1795-1851), and on the reverse a garnished shield modelled and engraved by Jean Baptiste Merlen (1769-1850).
William half-sovereigns are made up from only one type of obverse bust, and this also includes the bust used for the sixpence die. The bust used on the William half-sovereigns is the Second Bust in the sovereign series. Easy points of recognition that identify William half-sovereign bust are : a. The hair on the nape of the neck has a clear gap between it and the neck. b. The hair arrangement at the top of the forehead is a single curl laying almost flat and bending gently backwards towards a small cluster of curls behind. c. The top part of the ear is clearly visible.
On the reverse of the William half-sovereigns another interesting point that should be noted is the band that holds the lower garnishing around the shield together. This horizontal band on the 1834 coin has a plain void center area and is only defined by its outer edges, but on the other normal size issues it can be seen that a central incuse line has been added running from end to end across the bar.
1834 HALF-SOVEREIGN
There are important facts that should be mentioned regarding this superb half-sovereign:
Firstly, the obverse was engraved by William Wyon (1795-1851) from a superb bust of William IV by Sir Francis Chantrey (1781-1841). The reverse features a beautifully garnished shield modelled and engraved by Jean Baptise Merlen (1769-1850).
Secondly, it should be noted that this particular half-sovereign has a diameter of only 17.9mm ; this was considerably smaller than any other half-sovereign previously struck during the modern era, and they in fact measured 19.4mm.
Finally, though a Treasury order dated 14 April 1835 requested that the half-sovereign should be struck at a reduced size, the only half-sovereigns of this kind are those dated 1834, but they were though the same weight and fineness as previous issues ( 61.637 grains and 916.66 fineness ).
Mint Ledgers record that half-sovereigns with a value of 60,000 pounds or 120,000 coins dated 1834 had been recalled and melted (Mintage:133899), and this was probably as a result of complaints relating to their being very similar to the seven shilling pieces. This is also another reason why 1834 dated half-sovereigns are rated R2.
1835 HALF-SOVEREIGN
This is the easiest date of the series with the normal size issue with a diameter 19.4mm. It is rated as scarce but even though very rarely appears in a choice uncirculated condition.
1836 HALF-SOVEREIGN
The rarest and key date of this short reign and actually could be considered as one of the key dates of the complete collection of half-sovereigns (1817 to-date). There appear to be only four certified examples in Mint State across both companies today and only two certified AU.
1837 HALF-SOVEREIGN
Another extremely rare date of the series with examples appearing very seldom even in low grade. The vast majority of the very few survivors show signs of handling and circulation and only about five remaining in Mint State today.
MINTAGE and RARITY
1834: Mintage: 133899. Small size (17.9mm). R2 (M.Marsh)
1835: Mintage: 772554. Normal size (19.4mm). S (M.Marsh)
1836: Mintage: 146865. Normal size (19.4mm). R2 (M.Marsh)
1836: Mintage: Not Known. Obv. struck from sixpence die (19.4mm). R5 (M.Marsh)
1837: Mintage: 160207. Normal size (19.4mm). R (M.Marsh)
Even though this very short reign has only produced five different currency issues it may well take the collector a very long time to complete the series, especially in high grades. It is true that William half-sovereigns seldom appear even in low grade.
RARE COINS fall into two major classes: Mintage Rarities and Grade or Condition Rarities.
MINTAGE RARITY: A coin which is rare because it has a low mintage relative to market demand for the coin. This must take into consideration the type of coin, the date and the mintmark combination.
GRADE or CONDITION RARITY: An otherwise common coin that is only rare in certain grades,
To elaborate the general rarity of the gold coinage (Gold sovereigns and gold half-sovereigns), despite the large mintage in each date, there are two good reasons to contribute greatly to this matter.
During the Victorian period a very large quantity of worn coinage was withdrawn and melted. Bearing in mind that the sovereign and half-sovereign were then very much in use as a currency, it is not unreasonable to suggest that this withdrawal of gold coinage would certainly have contributed much to the rarity aspect. In fact It was actually the half-sovereign that had the most circulation in Victorian Britain.
The second reason is that both the sovereign and half-sovereign have been extensively used in the world of jewellery, and both these coins have been a big favourite for both sexes to use in rings, earrings, bracelets and pendants. Indeed many of these coins have been lost from the collectors' tray in this way.
Of the two main gold coins, half-sovereigns played a less important role internationally, serving a more domestic function and consequently being struck in smaller numbers. Wear rates recorded during the nineteenth century for half-sovereigns were always higher since the coin had a greater surface area in relation to its weight and was probably more roughly treated. Non only, therefore, did it survive less well, it was more likely to be lost in handling and was more difficult and costly to produce. Problems of wear were more extensive in relation to half-sovereigns, but sovereigns suffered as well. It was estimated that for sovereigns and half-sovereigns to fall below their minimum legal weights would take no more than 15 years. By the late 1860s 30% of sovereigns were thought to be below the least current weight and for half-sovereigns more than double that level. A further 20 years on and the problem had grown much worse. That is why half-sovereigns are a great deal more difficult to find in uncirculated condition, than finding uncirculated gold sovereigns.
REFERENCES:
THE GOLD HALF-SOVEREIGN 2nd Edition 2004 by M.A.MARSH.
COINS OF ENGLAND & THE UNITED KINGDOM, 55th Edition 2020, by SPINK.
A HISTORY OF THE SOVEREIGN, by Kevin Clancy. A Royal Mint Museum publication. 2nd Edition 2017.
THE SOVEREIGN, The world's most famous coin, by Daniel Fearon, 2001.
BRITISH MONARCHY, Official web site.
This present complete set contains beautiful high grade and eye-appealing examples of these rare gold half-sovereigns; actually all of them conditionally rare.
It appeared to be the most difficult set of half-sovereigns to be completed, and took, with patience and appreciation for quality and rarity, about twelve years, adding and alternating upgrades, to reach completion with high grade coins.
I believe that this is my best and favorite set, highlighted with the 1834 example (The smallest of all half-sovereigns), in an unbeatable grade MS65+.
Also the 1836 MS65 is the one and only Mint State example of William's half-sovereigns in NGC Census for the year 1836.
Last upgrade was on December 1, 2022 :
1834 MS64 up to MS65+.
1834, 1836 and 1837 Single finest in NGC Census.
Set Goals
To make a complete set with uncirculated high grade examples of this short reign.